Expansible wheel



INVENTR (No Model.)

" E. S. GHATFIELD.

BXPANSIBLE WHEEL.

llnrrnn STATES Arent rares..

EXPANSIBLEWHE'EL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 269,916, dated January2, 1883,

A pplioation filed November l1, 1832.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, EBEN S. OHATFIELD, ofHyde Park, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Expansible Wheels; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to makeand use the saine, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specication.

My improvements relate to a special construction of sprocket or chainwheels, whereby they are not only expansible, but also better adaptedfor heavy chains, and for lifting and conveying material by means of thechains, and for firmly holding` the adjustable radial arms or sectionsoi' the wheelin their adjusted positions to resist the weightand strainof the chain and of the bodies which may be lifted or conveyed by it.

Figure l is a face view, and Fig. 2 a view of the opposite face, ofmyimproved wheel; Fig. 3, its center plate detached 5 Fig. 4, aperspective of one of the radial arms; Fig. 5, a central section of twoof the wheels ou a common shaft,the shaft being broken partly away; andFig. 6, apiece ot' chain with blocks attach-ed.

The main body of the wheel is composed of a plate, A, having a centralhub, and ot' a series of radial peculiarly-constructed sprocketpieces B,hereinafter more fully described. The perimeter ofthe plate A, insteadof being circular, is polygonal, having as many angles c as there areradial arms or sprockct-peces, and it is beveled or rounded ott' at oneside of its perimeter, as shown at d, to adaptit to the correspondingunder side of the flanges e of the pieces B. That side or facef of thewheel to which these pieces B are attached has a series of tapering orV-shaped projections orlugs, g, cast integral with the plate, andextending a short distance from the outer edge ofthe plate toward thecenter of the wheel, and slots hare cnt through the body of the plate toadmit of adjustably attaching to it the shanks of the piecesB by meansof adjusting screws or boltsz'.

The pieces B are made as follows: Their outer ends are severally madewith a deep longitudinal groove, j, and two shallower recesses (Nomodel.)

or grooves, lc k', and in these grooves k k', about midway oftheirlengths, are projecting nibs or pins l l', adapted to take hold ofand carryA those links of alinked chain which would lie dat, while theinterveninglinks, which lie edgewise when on the piecesB, drop into thedeeper grooves j. That. flange e ot' each ofthe pieces B which isadjacent Ato the outer edge of plate Ais curved on its under side,asshown, to conform to the part l ot' the plate, so that when the two arebrought close together they may bear upon each other, thus supportingthe ange,

Suitable bolts or screws, i, which may he provided with wa-shers a andnuts, if desired, are passed through the slots h, and serve to hold theseveral sprocketpieces B against the plate, and set-screws o, whichenter threaded holes in the inner ends of these pieces, abut against thecentral hub, p, of plate A, and serve the double purpose of meeting thethrust -and strain on the sprocket-pieces When the chain is on andperforming its duty, and also ot' adjusting these pieces outward orinward from the center hen it is desired to enlarge or diminish the sizeofthe wheel to tighten or slacken the chain, so as to adjust the wheelto the chain to cause the nibs to strike the links at the proper timeand place to overcome the stretching due to wear, &c.

For heavy work or for lifting, ordinary expansible pulleys areimpracticable, because the belts must slip, nor t'or such work will itdo to have the periphery of the wheel in true arcs of a common circle,for the same reason. I therefore make the outer ends of the pieces Bstraight, as shown, instead of curved, and they are thus also adaptedeach to receive a link ofthe chain substantially in the manner ofordinary non-expansible or solid sprockets.

The screws o should hav'e square or polygonal heads, so as to be readilyturned and set by a wrench. Instead ot' thesescrews, wedges or cams maybe employed, or other appropriate device which can be interposed betweenthe hub and the inner ends otl the radial sprocketpieces to sustain thethrust.

It will be evident that minor variations in the form and constructionmay be made without departing from the spirit and principle of' myinvention. For instance, the nibs l may be longer or shorter ordifferently located on the IOS end of the pieces 13;' or there may bemore or 1 ss of them, to adapt them to the character of the chainemployed. Any number of pieces B may be employed, theplate in such casebeing adapted for the desired number. My wheel is adapted or adaptablefor belts as Well as for chains. l have found it very successful asa conveyer for bark in a tannery, and for such and kindred purposes ofeonveying or lifting l attach to the outer side of the chain or beltbars or other devices, as shown as q in Fig. 6.

I claim- 1. The expansiblesprocliet-Wheel described, composed ot' theplate A, its hub p, slots h, and

EBEN S. CHATFIELD.

Witnesses:

H. L. KRIGBAUM, WM. WILLs.

